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[lee269]

My Dad has been told he should buy a DVD recorder (not for a PC, a TV silver box job), plug in his circa 1960 reel to reel tape recorder and begin recording his irreplaceable recordings onto CD through it. Im a bit sceptical.

1. Can 'appliance' dvd recorders record realtime onto audio CD like this?

I told him to save money on a recorder and concentrate on buying suitable cables - connect to PC and test recording to that first.

2. My dad knows nothing about this stuff. Im not sure that even MC is simple enough ("whats an MP3?"). Is there a 'one-click' software recording solution? So many Ive seen but dont know enough about.

3. Any comments on the easiest to use? Best of all would be a big red button on screen - 'start your tape and then press this record button' - closer to that the better.

4. This isnt about advanced audio cleanup. I figure get it onto some media and worry about click removal later. Is r2r - cable - DVD recorder sensible, or r2r - cable - PC better? My gut instinct says record to PC.

Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.

[jgreen]

The solution is for one of dad's concerned children to bring over a laptop with a USB audio device like an Audigy, and set to digitizing.  There isn't any other solution that's as cheap+simple+reliable.

Short of that, the DVD box ranks a DISTANT second.  Still difficult, and likely to require mulitple passes through dad's old tapes.  If it was me, and I couldn't do it myself, I'd call up some local mastering houses and ask them what they'd charge.

If dad has a r2r, he might know somebody with a DAT.  That gets you a digital record, and you can figure out later what to do with it.  Low-end DATS go for $500 and you might rent a good one cheaper.

If you go with a DVD box, buy it from someplace with an easy return.  You're getting yourself into the coaster-making biz, IMO, and it better be a LOT cheaper than the laptop or the outsource or the DAT.

[lee269]

Thanks - you confirmed my opinion. Unfortunately Dads only concerned child is 300 miles away and not set to visit until November. Perhaps some remote tuition is in order.

It shouldnt be too difficult to advise on recording - press play on tape and click record on software. The Windows sound recorder should confirm if recording works for short bursts. Then I can worry about teaching the finer points of audio compression etc - my slightly more PC-savvy Mum is the light at the end of the tunnel there.

[jgreen]

Quoting lee269:
"It shouldnt be too difficult to advise on recording - press play on tape and click record on software."

That's the spirit!  How come record companies throw away all that money on recording studios, anyway?  Anyone can do it!  Same goes for designing ariplanes and picking lottery winners!

BTW--You've got the order backwards.  Click record on software BEFORE you press play.  It's better to record six seconds of silence than to start all your tracks six seconds late.

My advice:  practice up with an eye towards November.  I would still recommend MC11 over the imbedded Windows thing. 

[lee269]

Thank you so much for the advice. Ill try and remember the order of the instructions (), but after that I wonder whether its even worth practicing.

That's the spirit! How come record companies throw away all that money on recording studios, anyway? Anyone can do it! Same goes for designing ariplanes and picking lottery winners!

Ive got a camera too, but I guess I shouldnt take any holiday snaps because they wouldnt be as good as Ansel Adams'. Now you are making me nervous about getting on that plane to visit in November. Although picking winning lottery numbers really is random and requires no expertise, honestly, so dont feel too inhibited about buying those tickets.

I think I'll still advise them to use the embedded Windows thing to test they can record a signal before trying to talk them through an MC install.

Thanks again.

[jgreen]

Sorry to be so glum.  After all, it's only just music and you can't poke your eye out or anything.  That said, here's some points.

--Windows records directly to WAV format.  The maximum file size for a WAV is 2 gb, which is roughly 3 hours.  I don't know how long a 7-in reel plays for, so you should consider that.  Also consider that he needs enough free drive space to accomodate the data (3 hr = 2gb).

--There are (free) dedicated recording programs on download.com and one of them might be easy to use, although I doubt it.  You might test some and have dad download your pick.  As I recall, the windows thing defaulted to VERY low quality recordings, mono even, and tried its best to stick with that.  Dad will need to actively monitor the software.

--You have to set levels.  The software will have a graphic monitor for spl, and this should not go into the red at any point in the recording, although it should come close to it.

--Dad needs a computer with a suitable sound card.  Unless these tapes are all bird calls or college lectures he's recorded, if his computer has a default audio input it isn't going to be very good.  So now dad runs out to the computer store for an audigy, and has to futz with pci cards, or setting up USB.  I can see dad hard at it even now.

So plan B might be Dad sends you a plane ticket.  Or is this just some cruel plot to finish off dad?  I've got a dad, and the only person worse than him at computer hardware is his son, so I would opt for sending the job out to a professional.

[lee269]

Thanks again for this. I think some of my reciprocal glumness stems from an ill-worded thread title. I have a plan now, so for the record here it is:

I aint no recording engineer, but manage to successfully record LPs (for my purposes) using my turntable, amplifier, suitable cable, bog-standard-came-with-the-PC sound card (probably crap), Adobe Audition and MC for archiving. The problem was advising someone else how to do this.

1. We've established that an appliance DVD recorder is a non starter. This was the area where I was totally clueless. It was supposedly an 'expert' in the friend of a friend sense who recommended this BTW. Engaging a professional I suspect will cost more than its worth even given any sentimental value - my Dad was a goatee-stroking poloneck-wearing jazz buff in the late 50s and 60s who recorded a lot of music which he has kept. They have effectively been unlistenable for years due to the tape format.

2. My fathers clueless zone on the other hand extends around his PC. I suspect downloading and installing software might be difficult to supervise remotely. They play CDs using Windows media player - not ripped, just the CDs. Audio compression and ripping etc are a mystery to them so far. Im sure their sound card isnt up to much either.

3. My recommendation to him: forget the DVD thing, concentrate on connecting the tape deck to the PC.

4. Next, we test that we can record a signal on the PC. We use the built in Windows recording facilities. All we need is to be able to record a minute or so as a proof of concept. Even at low quality, hopefully it'll be enough to demonstrate it works. If we get silence I suspect even an install of MC wont work (although not so sure of this).

5. If 4 is successful we are at the point where we need to learn about installing proper software and sorting out levels plus, further down the line, explaining audio compression formats etc.

Actually, I have realised that in addition to the media editor, MC11 has a record sound facility in a single dialog (albeit you might need to tweak some recording options first). Not tried this, but what could be simpler? Maybe Ive answered my own question.

So to close this magum opus, thats where I am and thanks again jgreen, really grateful for the help.